Megalania, also known as Varanus priscus (which means "Ancient Lizard Beast"), is a giant monitor lizard from Australia that grew approximately five to seven meters long, although it is difficult to estimate its size due to a lack of complete fossil skeletons. The megalania was similar to the Komodo dragon, its closest extant relative, meaning that it possibly could have been venomous. However, it is unlikely that we will know for sure unless a skull fossil is discovered. If it was indeed venomous, the venom would have been a nasty hemotoxin, which increases bleeding by stopping coagulation in the blood. This prehistoric butcher lived in Pleistocene Australia, living up to Australia's stereotype of deadly fauna. It lived in an open semiarid scrub where it hunted the giant marsupial Diprotodon and competed against other apex predators like the crocodile Quinkana, the snake Wonambi, and the predatory marsupial Thylacoleo. It also possibly lived alongside early Australian aboriginals, who arrived on the continent around 65,000 years ago. These prehistoric people tended to use fire to hunt; they set fire to forests to flush out animals. Their presence had a dramatic impact on the Australian megafauna, including megalania, which all went extinct around 50,000 to 40,000 years ago.